That was compensated for, however, by my main course, Gorgonzola steak tips over linguine. I found myself staring down at an odd contrast: medium-rare pieces of beef atop a vegetarian delight, with roasted red peppers and scallions joining the perfectly cooked pasta. What joined them was the slightly garlicky Gorgonzola cream sauce — the sometimes overpowering cheese, which goes so well with steak, was beautifully mellowed with cream. Wonderful.
Johnnie chose the seafood Nantucket casserole, consisting of pieces of swordfish, salmon, and scallops in a lemon butter sauce with Ritz crackers, topped with Jack cheese. It needed more lemon zip, and she didn't want her swordfish rare, but the latter was corrected by a return trip to the kitchen.
To finish, I had the cheesecake with strawberry sauce, which was acceptable, and Johnnie had the chocolate torte, which was described as warm but was vying with the vanilla ice cream for coldness. Quite a careless kitchen that Sunday.
Distracted by the above food, I haven't mentioned the actual dining environment. It's quite calming. The black-and-white nautical photographs are mainly of sailboats, mostly at rest. The space is well-lit, with wide windows displaying a forest of masts, since we were literally at dockside. A lovely place and, though marred by too many lapses, for the most part a lovely meal.
Bill Rodriguez can be reached atbill@billrod.com.
